Canton Farm Put In State Register Of Historic Places

CANTON — A local farm that has operated for more than a century has been placed on the State Register of Historic Places.

The owners of Bristol's Farm, at 541 Albany Turnpike were told of the designation by the state Department of Economic and Community Development recently. The farm's property includes fields along Rte 44 and a barn that was built in 1870.

According to the letter that was sent to the owners, Bristol Farm LLC, the designation does not prevent any changes to the property but serves to indentify the site as historic.

Josh Bristol, a member of the family that owns the farm, said in an interview on Friday they sought the designation as part of trying to get a preservation grant from the state that would have paid to shore up part of the barn's foundation. He said that grant was not given and the family paid for part of the work out of its own funds.

"We want to preserve the barn, to keep it standing and keep this an active farm," said Bristol, who said he is the fifth generation of his family to be involved in the farm.

According to a draft of the new plan of conservation and development for the town, the Bristol Farm parcel on Rte 44 is among 500 acres in Canton that are being actively farmed, all of it north of Rte 44.